Unlocking Growth: The UK’s Innovation Opportunity in Transport and Construction
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£725bn infrastructure pipeline in the spotlight as Connected Places Summit begins
Over 180 speakers from across transport, construction, local growth and data infrastructure are taking part in the third annual Summit in person and online.
Welcoming over 1,100 delegates in-person and hundreds more online, Connected Places Catapult’s CEO, Erika Lewis, used her keynote address to highlight the scale of the innovation opportunity that the UK’s £725 billion infrastructure pipeline represents.
Lewis’ comments underlined the vital importance of supporting high-potential businesses to scale and succeed in transport and construction.
“If just one per cent of that £725bn was spent on innovation, our evaluations tell us that we could potentially create around 18,000 new solutions or new business ideas, and 600,000 additional jobs.”Erika Lewis, CEO, Connected Places Catapult
Find out more about how we can drive economic growth through investing in innovation.
The first panel session of the day saw three company CEOs, Dr Amit Bhave of CMCL, Anna Jordan of Alchera, and Rob Quinn of MakeSense Technology join Dr Alison Vincent CBE to discuss what it takes to grow a promising venture. The group shared their experience of the journey to commercialisation - including developing product-market fit, routes to market, financial resilience, and leadership decisions that turn early traction into scalable impact.
Also addressing delegates this morning was Professor Patricia Thornley, the new Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Transport.
Professor Thornley spoke about the role of technology and innovation in shaping sustainable transport futures – highlighting the challenge of transport being the UK’s largest emitting sector. She also celebrated the continuing impact of the Transport Research & Innovation Grants programme which helps to bridge the early stage, proof-of-concept funding gap in transport innovation, where small investments can de-risk emerging solutions.
Further high-profile speakers addressing delegates today include Oliver Coppard, the Mayor of South Yorkshire; Sophie Randall, the Innovation Lead for Mobility and Cities at Innovate UK; Andy Lord, the Commissioner at Transport for London; Davin Crowley-Sweet, the Chief Data Officer at National Highways, and Andrew Leadbetter, the Chief Technology Officer at Manchester Airports Group.
Presenters speaking on day two tomorrow include Mete Coban MBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment & Energy; Ian Brown, the Chief Investment Officer at the National Wealth Fund; Jon Loveday from the National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority; Melissa Zanocco OBE of UK Research & Investment; and Helen Davis of Siemens Mobility.
The Connected Places Summit brings together high-potential innovative businesses, industry leaders, investors, and government; and explores how collaboration across sectors can drive business growth. Keynote sessions each day are followed by concurrent tracks focusing on transport, construction and local growth, and data infrastructure.
The two day event is supported by Innovate UK and the Department for Transport, and takes place at Convene Sancroft in the City of London. Sessions are also broadcast online.
